Syracuse, NY -- Dan Sheehan remembers the days when any team hoping to make a name for itself in Division II men’s lacrosse had to go through Garden City, home of the Adelphi Panthers.

“I remember going down there in 1998 and taking one of the worst defeats I’ve ever had as a coach,” Sheehan, the veteran coach at Le Moyne College, said in recalling a 27-4 shellacking in the season opener that season. “We got ahead 1-0 and I thought we were ready to roll. We went from a lot to a little in a hurry.”

Four years later the Dolphins tried again and this time walloped the Panthers 18-9 at Coyne Field, announcing their emergence as a national title contender, a goal they would achieve three times in the next four years.

And it helped drop Adelphi, which has won more national titles (seven) than any other Division II team, out of the Tournament picture for several seasons. The Panthers returned last season as a member of Le Moyne’s longtime conference, the Northeast-10, gaining an at-large bid to the four-team Tournament the two-loss Dolphins believe they deserved. Adelphi lost to Mercyhurst 9-8 in the title game.

That is the scene setter for Saturday’s 1 p.m. game between the No. 2 Panthers (4-0) and No. 3 Dolphins (4-0) at Le Moyne.

“This is a big game,” Sheehan said. “We haven’t had a situation like this in a while.”

The situation is this: a huge conference game in March in which Le Moyne, which has dominated the NE-10 for a decade, is the underdog. Conference coaches picked Adelphi as the team to beat this season in their preseason poll.

“They have an awful lot of talent on that roster,” Sheehan said. “They are very good. Honestly, we’re going to have our hands full. They have an attack that is either shooting or dodging every second of game and a first midfield line that will run down your throat.”

Le Moyne, meanwhile, has a team with several new faces in the starting lineup. So far the defense has been solid and the revamped offense productive. Midfielders Andrew Chadderdon (Auburn; 8 goals, 3 assists) and Tyler Sennett (Nottingham) have been good up top, and attackmen Nate Frechette (CBA; 5-8), Sean Connors (Marcellus; 9-1) and Tyler Prevost (4-8) have clicked.

Sheehan believes the keys in the showdown will be the faceoff X, where Le Moyne has a lusty .671 success rate, and the performance of his defense vs. that potent Adelphi offense.

“We’re looking forward to it,” he said. “The kids are really excited for the challenge. There are some thoughts that last year they took our spot in the Tournament, so that is extra motivation. It’s going to be a critical game.”